Ashlee Simpson Booed at Orange Bowl

Singer Ashlee Simpson Booed at Orange Bowl Halftime for Flat Performance of Song ‘La La’ (ABC News – AP)

Photo: Pop singer Ashlee Simpson performs during halftime of the Orange Bowl game between Oklahoma and Southern Cal Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2005 at Pro Player Stadium in Miami. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki) Ashlee Simpson’s Orange Bowl halftime performance was a lemon, according to the 72,000-plus Miami crowd. The 20-year-old singer received a discernible chorus of boos following a performance of her song “La La.” “You make me wanna scream,” she sang before the audience jeered.

Simpson was among a trio of halftime performers Tuesday night in a game that saw Southern California overwhelm Oklahoma 55-19. The camera cut away from her face as the booing began.

The negative vocal reaction came months after Simpson’s performance on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live,” which revealed she used background vocal tracks. The mishap was later attributed to acid reflux.

Kelly Clarkson, Ashlee Simpson Suffer Audio Malfunctions At Orange Bowl

Ashlee Simpson and Kelly Clarkson might have wished they were lip-synching Tuesday night (January 4), after audio malfunctions marred their FedEx Orange Bowl half-time performances. Clarkson opened the show with her song “Since You’ve Been Gone,” but nobody heard her singing because her wireless microphone wasn’t working. She was able to finish the song after being handed a new mic, although her backing track and the bass player’s vocals were heard at a much higher volume.

Ashlee Simpson–who is no stranger to audio malfunctions–had to deal with the low-volume microphone in the beginning of her song “La La.” Once the volume was adjusted, it was clear that she was truly singing live. The audience of more than 70,000 booed her performance.

Country star Trace Adkins battled similar sound issues during his performance. R&B singer JoJo had no problems when she belted out “The Star Spangled Banner” without musical accompaniment before the game began.

Poor Ashlee.

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James Joyner
About James Joyner
James Joyner is Professor and Department Head of Security Studies at Marine Corps University's Command and Staff College. He's a former Army officer and Desert Storm veteran. Views expressed here are his own. Follow James on Twitter @DrJJoyner.